An intense debate followed, with more than 130 comments on the Facebook post. Opinions varied about whether the costumes were acceptable and whehter the UF-NAACP should even keep the image up. People also shared other photos found on the Internet of UF students dressed in blackface at previous events.

Stevenson Chery, a senior at UF and former president of the school's Haitian student organization, told the Sentinel, "We are outraged about it. Students should know that this is wrong."

Beta Theta Pi president Ethan McMahon said the theme of the party where the blackface photo was taken was "rock stars and rappers." He acknowledged that two attendees wore blackface and said he was disappointed.

"As an organization, we pride ourselves on the considerable diversity of our membership and are disappointed in the poor judgement and actions of two of our members," McMahon told the Alligator. "While their actions were not intended with any malice or ill will to any members of our community, clearly they were offensive, and we accept full responsibility accordingly."

Today someone told me that it’s time for blacks to forget our past, it’s time to move on and move forward, the image was harmless, hey who really knows what blackface is? Let us not forget that it’s been less than fifty years since blacks were allowed to attend this university.